On 28 June 2017, 9 international experts, including Jeffrey Sachs (Economist) and Marion Nestle (Nutritionist and writer), launched a petition through a column in the prestigious French newspaper Le Monde calling for urgent international action to tackle the scourge of diabetes in Africa.

The epidemic of diabetes is increasing inexorably on the continent, under the combined effects of rapid urbanisation, modification of eating habits, increase in life expectancy and environmental changes. Despite the gravity of the situation, less than 2% of all global health funding is dedicated to this major public health challenge. An international movement is urgently needed to raise awareness of an epidemic that has been overlooked for too long, and more importantly to support and give hope to people with diabetes, mostly disadvantaged, who lack access to care and appropriate treatment.

Diabetes has become one of the largest chronic epidemics of the 21st century with Africa leading the pack of new infections as people’s lifestyles continue to change with health experts warning on the need for people to watch on their exercise patterns and eating habits.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organization of over 230 national diabetes associations in 170 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950.